The Striking Snake
by AKissAndAGunshot
Summary: Aizen's scheme to achieve godhood was flawless, as it stood. But the blade of fate has a way of jamming the most intricate of machinations. Aizen had not accounted for the unexpected appearance of a skinny, silver-haired deputy shinigami - nor for his infallible ability to cause trouble everywhere he went.
1. The Heart of Battle

**AN: soooo... I'm breaking into the _Bleach_ world. (and neglecting stories that deserve my attention far more than this one, but nevermind that.)**

**Well. Whatever. In case it wasn't obvious, this story is a simple (and _hardly_ original) concept: swap out Ichigo Kurosaki for another character, and play the story out from there, with a new protagonist.**

**I actually have a whole list of characters I could do this with, which I may or may not publish later. Two of those characters already have a story in progress, although I'm not uploading them anytime soon - they're much shorter as yet.**

**My favorite character, and thus the story I've worked on the most, is the striking snake - Gin Ichimaru.**

**Enjoy.**

**X-X-X**

**Bleach: The Striking Snake**

**ch1**

_**The Heart of Battle**_

**X-X-X**

Karakura town was relatively wealthy, on average; as far as Japanese cities went, it was usually considered a pretty great place to live. That said, just like any other large city, there were districts on the outskirts which were considered somewhat less than 'uptown.'

It was places like these where groups of shiftless adolescents tended to loiter, usually with nothing better to do than cause trouble or break things.

Such was the case for a gang of skateboarders that had halted by a bent telephone pole. Their primary source of entertainment was disrupting traffic and harassing pedestrians, but they weren't above kicking random bottles just to hear the glass break.

In all honesty, it would have been foolish to expect them to notice the flowers in this one.

"My, my, my..."

Though the voice wasn't loud, the boisterous conversation of the gang died instantly. Something about the sing-song tone suggested a world of pain for those who did not pay attention.

"What's all this, then?"

The skaters turned to see a tall-ish, skinny boy of perhaps fifteen years. His hair was a strange silver, with the merest hint of purple highlight to it; but what truly marked him apart was his expression. His eyes were narrow slits and he wore a wide grin, giving off all the warmth and congeniality of a loaded gun.

"Huh? What are you talking about, punk?"

The boy cocked his head, extending his arm and pointing. "I spy, with my little _ey-ee,_ something beginning with 'broken glass...' " his voice had a creepy sing-song quality to it.

The biggest skater, presumably the leader, looked at the broken bottle that the boy had pointed to. Then he looked back up. "Yeah, so wh - "

The boy had crossed fifteen feet in a frighteningly short second. He now stood with one hand on the shoulder of the leader, and in his other hand, a sparkling fragment of glass twirled between his fingers.

"Such a safety hazard. Broken glass is... so sharp. After all, we wouldn't want anyone getting... " His hand closed around the shard, and his slits met the other boy's eyes. "... _cut."_

Sweat began to roll down the skater's forehead.

"That wasn't just a bottle you broke, you know." The silver-haired boy purred. "It was a shrine. To the soul of the girl who was killed here."

He looked away for a brief second - and when he looked back, he was no longer grinning. His face was set in a glare, and his terrifying carmine eyes were wide open, boiling with barely contained scorn.

"Did ya think about _that_ before ya broke it?" He almost growled.

"I - I'm sorry, sir - er - mister - "

"Gin. Gin Ichimaru. But why are you apologizing to me?" He said, his booby-trapped playful tone back. "It's her shrine you defiled. She's standing right _behind_ youuu -"

The skaters turned, and saw nothing but empty air. But the alternative was standing up to the inexplicably terrifying boy who had made their knees shake without even raising a fist...

"G- gomen!" The punks bowed deeply at the empty air. Then they picked up their skateboards and ran.

**X-X-X**

Gin watched them go, his eternal grin back on his face. "I guess they probably won't bother you again," he said.

The bloodied phantasm smiled. "Thanks, mister! I thought you were kinda weird, but you're nice after all!"

For a moment, Gin's smile seemed almost genuine. "I'll see if I can replace your flowers soon. But ya really should hurry on up to heaven soon, kid. I can't keep visiting you forever."

She giggled happily. "I'll be going soon. Thanks for the flowers, even if the mean guys broke the vase."

"Yer welcome, kid." Gin sauntered casually away.

**X-X-X**

Gin reached for the handle of the door of his house... and hesitated.

His father didn't attack him _every _day... but then again, there had been no ambush yesterday. The odds were pretty good that Isshin Ichimaru was lurking behind the door waiting for it to open.

So he let go of the door handle, and climbed up the windowsills on the front of the house. It was a stretch, but his fingers found the edge of the second-story window to his own room. The window was not latched, and he slipped in easily.

He kicked off his shoes and sauntered out of his room. "Hey, Karin, Yuzu. Don't mind me. I'm gonna make dad jump out of his skin."

"See if you can't give him a heart attack while you're at it," said Karin callously. "He deserves it after all those times he's almost given _me_ one. Maybe it'll even get him to slow down a little."

Gin crept silently down the stairs, seeking out his father. Attacking him as soon as he opened the door was a relatively new trick for Isshin - he probably hadn't done it more than ten times so far. However, Gin was fairly sure he simply hid behind the corner in the hallway.

Sure enough, still waiting for the front door to open, one Isshin Ichimaru was lurking at the corner, constantly peeking out furtively.

"Lookin' for someone, old man?"

Isshin hit his head on the ceiling.

"My son!" He yelled wildly. "You have outsmarted me! Oh, I feel the joy the master feels when his student surpasses him!"

Gin raised an eyebrow at 'master,' but he let it slide. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just go eat dinner, okay?"

"Ah-HAH!" Isshin shouted. "You returned late! That means - "

" - that nobody else has eaten dinner, and they're likely as hungry as I am?"

Isshin looked shocked.

"Sorry, I saw the girls already. Karin's never that grouchy if she's eaten recently. You ain't got a leg to stand on."

The man's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Oh, Masaki," he moaned. "My children are so _cru-ell_ to meee! Did I not raise them properly?"

Gin's grin threatened to remove the top of his head as he heard Karin's voice shout something to the effect of "not even close!" Down the stairs.

**X-X-X**

Gin lay on his bed, his eyes almost closed. It was different, however, than his vulpine mask. Instead of the creepy squint, his eyes were peaceful, and while his grin was much less wide, it was also much more genuine.

He had finished his homework for tomorrow, and he had elicited such a beautiful reaction from his father that the memory would keep him warm at night for years to come. Oh, beating him at his own game was reward enough, but making him jump high enough to hit the _ceiling?_ Priceless!

Abruptly, one blood-red eye shot open. A butterfly was flitting through his room, its wings and body both as black as anthracite. Gin was no expert on lepidoptera, but he was pretty sure that butterflies like that couldn't be found in any academic compendium. Besides, how had it gotten in here? The door was closed, and the window -

Was sliding open. Served him right for always leaving it unlocked. He narrowed his eye again, deciding to surprise the intruder.

The window opened fully, and the uninvited guest stepped silently into the room. To say Gin was surprised would be an understatement.

She was very short, almost small enough to be a child, but her build and her stature suggested she was at least as old as Gin. Her dark hair was cropped about halfway down the neck and her eyes were purple, but those were the least of her oddities; she was dressed in almost medieval clothing. Her heavy black kimono, white undergarment and straw sandals were matched in their antiquity only by the disturbingly realistic katana sheathed in her kimono obi.

"It's nearby," she whispered to herself. "Where did it go...?"

"Lose somethin', did you?" Gin said, with sincere curiosity in his voice.

The girl almost screamed, and turned around so fast Gin was sure she should have snapped her neck. The sight she turned to see - a pair of slitted, _crimson eyes_ mere inches from her own - did little to improve her immediate temperament, and she jumped back as if stung.

Gin straightened, smirking; it was times like this that he really appreciated having practiced moving quickly and quietly. "Ya know, burglars really shouldn't talk to themselves. Kinda defeats the purpose of stealthily entering."

"I'm not a burglar!" She said indignantly. "Wait... you can see me?"

Gin's smile almost dropped in confusion. "Why wouldn' I be able ta see ya?" Then his grin returned, wider than ever. "Are you tellin' me you're a ghost? Ya sure don't look like any ghost I've ever seen - no soul chain, even. Did ya die at a fancy dress party or somethin'?"

"I'm no lost soul, human!" She snapped. "I'm a Death God. Shi-ni-gami! Get it right!"

Gin actually blinked. "Fine, fine, you're a, uh, Shinigami. By the way, just so ya know, I'm the emperor of Japan - "

"Gin?"

Both figures looked, to see Karin Ichimaru standing in the doorway of Gin's room.

"Who're you talking to, Gin?"

Gin's eyebrows raised. "What do ya mean? She's right... there..."

Karin gave her brother a funny look. "Gin, I may not see ghosts as clearly as you do, but I still see when they're there. There's no-one there, Gin."

Gin looked back at the black-clad 'Death God,' who was standing right where he left her, solid and opaque as anything.

"They can't see me," she said casually. "Or hear me. A fair few humans can see ghosts, but none can see Shinigami. Until now, that is. Why can you see me, I wonder? You must have an immense reiatsu, for a human..."

Karin looked slightly worried. "Gin, I know the ghosts sometimes stress you out. Maybe you should just get some rest tonight, 'kay?"

She left quickly, closing the door behind her.

Gin turned back to the Shinigami. "Well, this is a pretty pickle," he said, holding up his hands and counting on his fingers. "One, ya broke into my house..."

He began slowly advancing on her. "Two, ya spout some drivel about being a death god... three, I can see ya but my family can't... four, ya made me look like a madman in front of my sister. Really, I ought to - "

The girl rolled her eyes, bringing her hand up. _"Bakudõ 1: Restraint!"_

Gin's mask-like expression turned to one of surprise and menace as his arms were abruptly twisted behind his back and he was shoved to the floor by an unknown force. The Shinigami almost jumped when she caught sight of his open, glowing eyes, but she quickly composed herself.

"Well... this is unexpected," he said, his grin and squint returning. "I suppose I should have realized you'd be into that kinda stuff by the funky outfit. Just go gently; it's my first time - "

_"What?!"_ The girl seethed. "I'm not a rapist, you fool! I told you, I'm a death god. I happen to be on a mission here, you know! I wasn't counting on meeting a random human who could see me! I'm hunting a hollow who's been evading me for days."

Gin raised an eyebrow. "More spirit-beings I've never seen before?" He looked skeptical.

"Actually, I would be willing to bet you _have_ seen hollows, or traces of them, before," she said. "You may not have known at the time. Regardless. Hollows are what ghosts become when they can't pass on - bloodthirsty monsters than eat other ghosts."

" 'can't pass on'?" Said Gin. "What - so the little girl on the corner's gonna become a 'hollow'?"

"Please pay attention," said the Shinigami wearily. "Some people die at peace, yes? Their accounts settled, their minds at peace with their lives. They pass quickly on to Soul Society. But death waits for no-one's convenience, and many die with regret in their hearts. They linger in the mortal world; and few can make their peace with life while they are ghosts. That is the reason the Shinigami exist."

She tapped the hilt of her sword. "This blade has two functions. The hilt carries the seal of Konsõ, and touching it to the forehead of a lingering soul sends them on when they cannot go themselves. And opposite the hilt is the soul-cutter blade; the weapon that can absolve a corrupt soul by its strike. That is the other function of the Shinigami: to kill hollows, purifying their spirit and protecting their would-be victims."

Gin looked raptly attentive. He nodded twice, and said... "That's the biggest pile of bullshit I've ever heard."

"It's the truth, idiot!" She practically shrieked. "I was tracking a hollow _here!_ Even your family could be at risk. I almost had it, but my reiatsu sense started filling with... ugh, it's hard to describe. Noise. Static. Never felt anything like it before, but I need to get back to hunting that thing."

Gin's vermillion eyes shot open as an unearthly howl filled the air. "Jeez! Tha fuck was _that?"_

The Shinigami looked at him curiously. "What? Did you hear something?"

Gin cocked an eyebrow. "Okay, that's a bit much, even for a joker like me. You seriously didn't hear the anguished scream just now?"

"I don't know what - "

And the howl returned, carrying the bitterness and grief of a damned soul with it.

The Shinigami paled. "How... how could you have heard it before me?" She gasped. "Nevermind. Stay here! I'll deal with it; there's nothing you can do anyway."

The Shinigami raced out of the room and down the stairs.

"Huh." Gin considered his position, and came to the conclusion that there was no harm in trying. Besides, he'd be damned if he trusted the safety of his family to a stranger. He flexed his arms, braced his legs under him as much as he could, and pushed.

The strange magical bindings snapped like rotten string. Funny, he expected them to be tougher. Well, maybe he was more resistant to magic than a normal human? After all, he could see her when his family couldn't.

He had no more time to waste. He immediately gave chase to the Shinigami. The sight that greeted him at the bottom of the stairs, however, was enough to make even Gin drop his fox-face for a second.

A hulking, masked monster, easily twelve feet tall at the shoulder and only barely humanoid, had literally smashed its way through the living room wall. Isshin lay apparently incapacitated on the floor. One of its hands was striking at the Shinigami, and in the other, it held the weakly struggling form of Yuzu Ichimaru.

Gin didn't hesitate. His mask back on, he stepped up to the kitchen counter and grabbed a short knife. "Oh, _monsterrr!"_ he sang.

The creature paused to look at him, and Gin threw the knife. The blade gleamed as it pinwheeled through the air, sinking into the hollow's huge wrist.

Although the wound was shallow, the beast roared and dropped Gin's sister. The death god made use of the distraction, shouting another spell, and a massive blast of blue light cannoned into the hollow. The impact literally knocked it off its feet, blasting it backwards and out into the street, and the tiny woman raced after it, her sword drawn.

Gin, however, never left off a fight until he was sure his enemy would never be a threat again. He picked up another knife - too long to throw, but a nasty enough weapon in a melee - and put on his best silent-dash after the Shinigami.

"Hey, ugly!"

The monster was once again distracted from its intended target by a knife sinking into its flesh. The blade snapped when Gin tried to pull it free, and he cursed under his breath; the hollow had skin like chain mail.

"I'm the one with a powerful soul, right? I'm the delicious one! Why don't you snack on me instead of my bland ol' family?" He stabbed again, hoping to deal some damage with the broken tip.

The hollow swung its arm, knocking Gin flat on his back. He tried to push himself up, felt his head swimming from the blow, and collapsed again.

"You fool!"

There was a booming noise almost like thunder. Gin finally managed to raise his head, only to see the Shinigami standing over him with her arm stuck into the hollow's mouth up to the shoulder - the blade of her sword protruding from the bottom of its chin. She had paid for the strike, though; the hollow's huge teeth were embedded deep in her torso.

The hollow coughed, then shrieked at the pain of the blade jammed through its jaw. It violently spat out the Shinigami's arm and shook its head.

Gin's guardian raised her other hand, and recited another spell with perfect poise, blasting the hollow backwards once more. Then she staggered, dropping to one knee.

Gin finally overcame the dizziness, ironically getting up just in time to catch the death god as she fell. She was bleeding quite heavily from the two semicircles of toothmarks.

"Idiot," she gasped. "Hollows can't be sated. It would just... eat you, then eat your family as well. They're always... hungry."

She tried to stand. "Dance... Sode no... Shirayuki..." The sword gleamed for a second, but nothing happened. "Damn... I can't focus my reiatsu enough to even shikai-release... no way I can stop it now..."

Gin gritted his teeth. "I'll stop it," he said, his grin shifting from insincere to outright menacing. "There has ta be a way. That freak's after my family. I'll kill it no matter what it takes."

The death god shifted in his arms. "Really...? You'll risk... _anything..._ to save your family?"

His voice was like steel. "Anythin' at all."

She gripped her sword. "Then... take this zanpakutõ," she said, "this embodiment of my power and will to fight... take it, and stab it into your chest, and I can... give you power; enough to win at least. It may kill you... but it's the only way I can think of."

Gin didn't hesitate, even for a second. Putting her injured form down gently, he picked up the sword. "Right through the chest?"

"Dead center."

He reversed his grip, placing the tip of the blade at the center of his sternum.

"Oh, by the way," he said languidly. "Just in case I don't make it, m'name's Gin Ichimaru."

"Rukia... Kuchiki," the Shinigami replied. "Nice to... meet you."

With a hiss, Gin sucked his breath in and stabbed the blade into his flesh.

For a moment, the street was lit as brightly as the noonday sun in a frightening flash of emerald energy.

**X-X-X**

Rukia gasped as she felt it - the hurricane of energy being ripped from her body with terrifying force. She had meant to give him a fraction of her power, just barely enough to kill the hollow, but he was like a black hole - the more power he drank in, the greater his soul's thirst became.

Finally, she had no more power left to give, and the flow ceased. She could already feel the gnawing ache in her gut; if she went unaided, her soul would collapse before long.

However, as the light vanished and the dust settled, her attention was drawn elsewhere.

Gin Ichimaru stood in the street, now clad in the black shihakusõ of a death god. Unlike the usual Shinigami uniform, his obi sash was a brilliant green; a similar emerald strap ran from his right hip to his left shoulder, this one decorated with a diamond pattern.

"My, my," he said flippantly. "This _is_ interesting." His hand went to his obi, and he unsheathed a wakizashi blade, its handguard forming a stylized barred S.

Rukia's eyes widened. His reiatsu was an _unholy_ thing, so strong and overbearing that in her weakened state she could barely breathe beneath it - with no restraint, his sword should have been massive to match the power of his reiatsu. And yet the wakizashi was barely a foot and a half in length, if that.

The hollow had gotten back to its feet, and was lumbering towards Gin. It swiped at him with its massive arms, but Gin dodged them with inhuman speed, his body seeming to flow like water around the strikes.

"So sorry to disappoint ya," said Gin, "but yer party's over."

With a final dodge and a jump, Gin was in the air beside the hollow's head. He spun almost lazily, his sword held casually in one hand and outstretched.

The blade sliced through the monster's mask like butter, and Gin landed gracefully, facing away from the beast. He checked the blade for any liquids. Satisfied there were none, he sheathed it and turned back to look at the hollow.

His grin widened, his teeth showing through. "Bye bye now!" He waved.

The creature fell to its knees, its body beginning to dissolve.

"That was... easier than I thought it would be," Gin idly mused. "I wonder if - "

A sharp pain exploded through his skull as the high of the reiatsu absorption wore off. He dropped to his knees, his breath catching in his chest.

"Bloody... woman," he groaned. "Ya didn't warn me about... _this_ part..."

He slumped sideways, the world going dark. The last sound his mind registered was the distant clacking noise of... wooden platform sandals?

**X-X-X**


	2. Gods of Death

**I'm not sure I'm satisfied with this chapter, really. I can't shake the feeling I portrayed Gin slightly off. Maybe I tried too hard, I dunno.**

**Either way, enjoy.**

**X-X-X**

**The Striking Snake **

**ch2**

_**Gods of Death**_

**X-X-X**

Gin had always been an early riser. Although his creepy factor caused many people to believe he would be a night owl by nature, the fact was that Gin loved the morning sunlight. Something about feeling the sun's rays after sleeping all night revitalized him completely.

Thus, even though it was only just after dawn, it took Gin mere seconds to realize that he was not where he remembered collapsing last night.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. His room was exactly as he'd left it, although the door was closed.

He got up, padding silently across the floor, and opened the door.

Nothing unusual in the upper floor. He briefly looked in on the girls' room, but Karin and - he breathed a sigh or relief - Yuzu were both unharmed and still sleeping soundly. He moved on, heading downstairs.

In the combination living room/kitchen, he found... well, rubble. Silly of him to expect otherwise. Curiously, though, the huge hole in the wall had been blocked with wooden planks. DIY home repair certainly hadn't featured last night.

In fact... the hole in the wall hadn't been that shape. It had been smaller, and less square. There had been soot from Rukia's Kido blast, which was missing.

Perhaps he had dreamed the peculiar events from last night? Gin was not usually one to doubt his own memory, but the evidence truly did suggest that the supernatural encounter was a figment of his imagination. After all, everything seemed different from -

Gin's eyes focused on the knife rack in the kitchen. Every handle was in its usual place. He advanced warily.

He pulled out the shortest knife, the one he remembered throwing. It was pristine, with nothing to suggest unorthodox usage. His hand moved on, and grasped the handle of the long chef's knife. He pulled it out of the rack -

The blade was _broken,_ several inches above the handle.

His grin carried real glee as he looked down - to find that the cloth of his shirt, the same one he had been wearing when the hollow attacked, had a small vertical incision in it perhaps two inches long positioned directly over his breastbone.

Gin laughed softly to himself. "Ya _almost_ had me fooled," he whispered to no-one in particular.

He was interrupted by the sound of his father coming down the stairs to open the clinic. Gin quickly put the broken knife back, and opened a cupboard as if he was merely making breakfast.

As Isshin walked past, Gin turned his best creepy grin towards his father. "Dad, I can't help but notice the... unplanned aperture in the front wall," he said. "Care to explain it?"

"Huh?" Isshin looked up. "Didn't you wake up?"

Gin merely raised an eyebrow. He didn't want to make any definite statement on his activities last night

"Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting you sleep like a rock. 'Like a frozen reptile,' that's what you said." He scratched his chin. "Well, around midnight last night, a truck lost control on the street and crashed into the house. The driver pulled out and drove off before I could get the license plate number, but some of the neighbors had woken up and they helped with the boards."

Gin did not let his mask slip - it wasn't a stretch to believe that a Shinigami would have the means to alter memory. "Huh. How long'll it take to get fixed?"

"Don't know. A few days, maybe."

"Hmm." Gin ceased his fake searching of the cupboards. "Aah - I'm not hungry. I think I'll just head to school early."

Unnoticed by the usually observant Gin, his father's eyes watched him warily as he left the house.

**X-X-X**

Gin arrived at the school at his usual time - that is to say, about five minutes before the janitor unlocked the building. He picked the joke of a lock on one of the windows as he usually did, and let himself into the school.

Gin liked watching people, although he had gotten good at going unnoticed, since most people did not like to have him watching them - some had likened his gaze to that of a snake waiting to strike. The early risers would be in school presently, and he liked lurking around the corridors to observe them, idly wondering what set them apart from the other students that tended to come in later.

However, his time as the lurking snake passed quickly enough. Karakura High traditionally started classes early, and before long, he was obliged to file into his classroom with the rest of his class. Honestly, the classes themselves bored him quite a lot; Gin could pick up an hour's worth of teaching in the first five minutes. However, he rarely grew tired of watching the people in his class, so at least it wasn't total drudgery.

He glanced around the classroom. There were a few people that he at least tentatively considered friends - or, at least, people who didn't consider him too creepy to speak to. Orihime Inoue, Tatsuki Arisawa, Keigo Asano, Yasutora 'Chad' Sado - special mention for being the only person in the class who was taller than Gin - and maybe one or two other names. Gin had few friends, but he found it didn't bother him much.

"Attention, class. We have a transfer student arriving today!"

Gin's attention snapped towards the door. Two oddities in a row; the hollow attack, now a transfer student. He reflected that it would be interesting, to say the least, if the transfer student was somehow the Shinigami from last night -

"Class, please welcome Rukia Kuchiki!"

Gin's eyebrows threatened to meet his hairline. _Speak of the devil, and he shall appear..._

Given that the rest of the class could see her, he had to assume that Rukia was in some way emulating a solid body. Her shihakusõ was gone, replaced with the appropriate uniform, but her deep purple eyes belied the facade of innocence; when her gaze met Gin's for a moment, there was no mistaking it. It was Rukia all right, and she was not happy to be there.

Unsurprisingly, she made a beeline for the empty seat beside him. "Hi!" She said with a plastic smile. "What's your name?"

Gin's snake grin did not shift a millimeter - his false smiles were made of more lasting materials than plastic. "Gin. Gin Ichimaru. Pleased to meet you."

"I don't have the textbooks yet," she said quickly. "Do you mind if I borrow yours for this period?"

She held out her hand in a gesture of request. Written neatly on the palm were the words _'say anything and I will kill you.'_

Beneath his mask, Gin smirked to himself. "Of course, Miss Kuchiki. Welcome to Karakura High."

**X-X-X**

"Where are we going? This place is totally empty."

"Aah – well," said Gin, "people avoid me most of the time, but there's always a chance someone's listenin' and I'd rather not be seen as any crazier than people already see me as."

Rukia glared. "Very well, you have me as a captive audience. What do you wish to say?"

Gin scratched the back of his head, the grin shifting into a perplexed look, albeit exaggerated. "Not ta put too fine a point on it, but... why are ya here?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I killed the hollow, my family's safe. Job done, right? So why haven't ya gone back to... the afterlife, or wherever you Death Gods live?"

"It's called Soul Society," she replied angrily, "and I _can't."_

"Huh?"

"Only fully-fledged Shinigami can pass freely through the senkai gates." She avoided his eyes.

"And you're sayin' ya aren't one? Ya seemed confident when - "

"I lost my power, idiot!" She almost yelled. "That wasn't a normal reiatsu transfer last night - you sucked me dry! I barely have enough spirit energy to stay _alive,_ let alone use a senkaimon! I'm trapped in this gigai body to prevent my soul from decaying out of weakness!"

Gin actually stopped grinning for a moment. "Oh," he said. "That's kinda, uh, unfortunate. I'm guessing that means the power didn't leave me when I went back to being a human." He looked down at himself. "Can't for the life of me figure out where it went, though."

"Fool," she replied. "I altered your soul, not your human body. When Urahara-san put your soul back into your body, your power was sealed up just like any other Shinigami's would be if they entered a gigai. If you were to leave your body, you'd find yourself dressed as a death god again, sword and all."

"But, why me?" Asked Gin. "I can only assume there's gotta be more Shinigami around. Why d'ya need to hide out at my school?"

"There are more. Thirteen divisions of us, in fact. But the reason I need to hide out here is..." She took a deep breath. "I need you. Karakura Town is my patrol area, and currently, the only active Shinigami here is you. I need... I need you to take over the task of slaying hollows here, until I recover."

Gin scratched the back of his head, his grin never wavering. "Ehh- sorry, but I think I gotta say no to that," he replied. "I don't like to see people killed, but I ain't nice enough to stick my neck out for total strangers."

Rukia looked crestfallen. "But..."

"Not happenin', sweetie. Sorry." Gin turned to leave.

Like a switch, Rukia's contrition was gone completely. The tall, grinning boy seemed able to infuriate her with no effort at all.

"Fine, looks like we'll be doing this that hard way!"

"Eh?"

Gin fell flat on his face as Rukia's hand forcefully caught the back of his head. He rolled over and sat up, rubbing his forehead. "What the hell did you..." He paused, realizing that the sleeve on his arm had inexplicably turned black.

Rukia pulled a strangely patterned glove off her hand. "As you may have guessed, yes, I pulled your soul out of your body." She narrowed her eyes. "Now follow me."

**X-X-X**

"Not that I mind sitting around and watching people on the street, but..."

"Just wait," replied Rukia shortly, looking over the park grounds. "It will be soon."

"What will?"

"Just because I'm being supported by a false body doesn't mean I have nothing at all left." She pulled out a phone-like device. "A century or two ago, the previous captain of Division 12 deployed a network of millions of reiatsu detectors in most populated zones on earth. This thing is a receiver for them, and it's telling me there's a ghost near here."

"Oh, that's right," said Gin. "I suppose so. I've seen a ghostly kid around here a few times before. Comes out to play around noon."

"Mm. Would you say he's your friend?"

"Nah, never talked to him. Just seen him sometimes." Gin idly twirled his wakizashi.

"Good, then you won't have a problem with the fact he's about to be attacked and eaten by a hollow."

"Eh?" The grin slipped for a minute, although Gin put it back on quickly. His sharp retort was cut off by the sound of a scream. The ghost of a child burst from the bushes in the park, a spider-like hollow hot on his heels.

Gin jumped up, his shortsword in his hand.

"Stop!"

Gin turned back to face Rukia, his grinning mask suddenly whole orders of magnitude more menacing. "I don't like being made to say 'eh?' twice in less than a minute," he said, his voice calm. "Why do ya want me to stop?"

"You said it yourself," Rukia replied. "You won't stick your neck out for total strangers."

"What?" Said Gin. "I mean, _yeah,_ but this kid's_ right here."_

"Right here, a hundred miles away, it makes no difference!" Rukia shouted. "This is what you are choosing, Gin Ichimaru! To leave Karakura town defenseless! To leave the dead souls of this place to their own fates! Oh, you would save the ones that would appear before you, but they are _nothing,_ nothing at all!"

Gin almost widened his eyes in shock; the tiny Kuchiki had never displayed such forcefulness before.

"The ones that are easy to reach are hardly a dent in those who you would miss! This is not a job that can be done by half-measures, Ichimaru!" She paused for breath. "Either you make the effort to save them all, or you damn them all by your inaction. If you save the child now, you are committing yourself to a brutal and thankless task! To save souls and slay hollows when and where it becomes necessary; to protect the balance of Samsara at all costs; even - should it come to that - to risk your neck for the safety of strangers. _These are the duties of a SHINIGAMI!"_

Gin's grin didn't waver.

"Okay then," he whispered.

The hollow finally caught up with the child, knocking him down. It raised its foreleg to strike, and brought it down.

Nothing happened.

It looked back, to see a tall Shinigami leaning against the severed stump of its leg and twirling a wakizashi in his other hand.

"Bye bye now-" Gin sang cheerfully. The blade flicked across the hollow's mask, and the monster collapsed, beginning to disintegrate.

_'Touching it to the forehead...'_ That's what Rukia had said. Helping the boy up, Gin touched the hilt of the shortsword to his head, and the ghost's body glowed bright blue.

Gin stared, slightly awed, as the boy's soul morphed into a ball and began shrinking. As it shrank, the ball became brighter, until at the size of a pinpoint it was painful to look at. Then it vanished.

"He has passed on," said Rukia from behind Gin. "So you accept these duties?"

Gin turned around. "I ain't accepted any more or less than what I did last night," he said. "I won't protect even a single soul for 'duty' or 'honor,' miss Kuchiki. I defended that boy for the same reason I defended my family: 'cause I _wanted_ to. And - honestly - don't tell me you're any different."

"No different? What do you - "

"Ya defended my family with your life. Don't tell me you were thinking about 'duty' when ya jumped in front of that fish-faced hollow. Ya wanted me to stay alive, nothin' else. Sacrifice like that means nothing if it doesn't come from the heart."

Rukia didn't meet his eyes. "So... you won't help me?"

"I didn't say that." Gin sheathed his sword. "I may be creepy, but I'm not the kind of guy that can sleep easy with unpaid debts. I can't guarantee I'll lay my life on the line for my 'duty', but for now... the least I can do is run your patrols for ya."

Rukia smiled almost as widely as Gin. "I wasn't expecting a philosophy lesson, but... thank you."

**X-X-X**


	3. Memory

**Apologies for not commenting in this chapter. I wrote it six weeks ago, and I'm currently preoccupied with making the SS arc work. See y'all later.**

**X-X-X**

**The Striking Snake**

**ch3**

_**Memory**_

**X-X-X**

Gin's eyes snapped open.

The dawn sunlight had not woken him. It was in fact just before dawn, but it would not have mattered. No, today was a day he always woke just a little bit earlier.

Though he kept his terrifying blood-red eyes narrow and hidden, Gin did not smile as he pulled on his uniform. He had not worn his grinning mask on this day since he was nine years old.

He knocked softly on the door of his closet, where Rukia was doubtless still sleeping. "I'm going to school early. You can sleep in later if you want."

He crept down the stairs and, after an extremely fast breakfast, headed out the door.

**X-X-X**

Gin paid attention in every class. He took notes as any other student did. He talked with his friends and even smiled like a normal person.

By noon, this behavior had made his entire class certain there was something wrong with him. A few even asked after the fact, but his friends changed the subject whenever it was brought up.

His friends didn't think there was something wrong with him, they knew it. The 16th of June was not a good day for Gin Ichimaru - outdone only by the 17th.

Gin didn't miss school often, but for the last six years, he had never once been in school on the 17th.

**X-X-X**

"Rukia," Gin said as he closed the door to his room behind him. "I'm not going on patrol tomorrow."

"What?" Rukia practically fell out of the closet. "Unacceptable! What if a hollow warning arrives?"

"Someone else can deal with it, tomorrow. It's just one day."

"But there _is_ no one else! We went over this! You never slacked on any of the other hollow attacks. What's different tomorrow?" She paused. "Wait... something's been bothering you all day, Gin. What's wrong?"

"Tomorrow..." Gin sat down on his bed. "Tomorrow is the anniversary."

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Dare I ask what of?"

"Of the day my mother died. Well... the day she was _killed."_

Rukia blinked. "What - "

"Goodnight, Rukia."

**X-X-X**

"Jeez, this hill is so steep." Yuzu Ichimaru wiped her brow. "I forget this part every year."

"Pff," her more athletic sister shot back. "It's just 'cause you aren't in shape. This is nothing to me."

"Do your best, Yuzu!" Shouted Isshin's insane voice from just below them. "I'm behind you every step of the way! Look, I'll climb the hill while _walking on my hands!_ See?" There was a loud crash. "Don't worry! I'm okay!"

"Just ignore him," whispered Karin to her sister. "If you pay attention it just encourages his strangeness."

Gin walked on ahead of the trio, almost smiling at their antics.

Even though it was the same date, June 17th, it was different from that day. It had rained so hard that day, a cold, unforgiving rain.

He blinked. There was another figure on the path ahead of them. That was odd; visitors to this graveyard-park combination were actually quite rare. This person seemed... quite _short..._

"Say, who is that, Gin?" Karin asked. "Nobody ever comes up here normally."

"Oh, uh, well, if I'm not mistaken," Gin said, scratching the back of his neck, "it's someone from my class. Ya'll go on ahead, I'll talk to her for a minute."

Gin waited until the rest of his family went on ahead. Then he turned to Rukia, his grin painted on and radiating malevolence. "Why did you follow me?" He hissed.

Gin knew that, when he really put effort into it, his grins could make grown men practically shit their pants in fear. Sure enough, Rukia paled, but she stood her ground. "You fool!" She hissed back. "What if a hollow appears and I'm not around? I somehow doubt you brought Kon with you! Day off or not, you'd be defenseless!"

"I..." Gin's anger died. "Okay, I guess ya got a point. But still. Ya might have wanted to be a little more covert. I'm just glad my family didn't question why I'd want to talk to someone I've known only a few days."

Rukia looked away. "Sorry." She actually seemed contrite. "I'm no Onmitsukidõ ninja. The best way for me to avoid attention is to blend in with the people, not the shadows."

Gin blinked. Rukia never apologized. "Hey, what's wrong wit'choo?" He said.

Rukia still refused to meet his eyes. "Killed..." She whispered.

"Huh?"

"That's what you told me," she said, hesitantly. "That your mother was killed. Not that she died... that she was killed."

"What?" Said Gin, faking confusion. "No, I totally didn't say that."

"Gin, you said that you've been able to see ghosts for as long as you can remember."

"So?"

"Gin... was the - "

"Don't go there, Rukia." Gin's face was back to his uncharacteristic steely look.

"Gin, was the thing that killed your mother a hollow?"

Silence.

"With a reiatsu like yours, it seems likely," Rukia said. "Powerful mortals rarely lead peaceful lives. A hollow could have easily mistaken her for you, especially if you were close together - "

"Everything's the work of a hollow to yer mind, isn't it?" Gin's voice was low and dangerous.

Rukia paused. "What?"

"You're wrong. It weren't no hollow that killed Masaki."

"Then why did you say - "

Rukia was silenced by the sight of Gin's jaw dropping and his entrancing ruby eyes snapping wide open, focusing on something behind her. She hadn't known him long, but she knew that he never, ever expressed shock. For him to break this habit...

"No... not _here,_ not _now..._ it can't be."

Rukia frowned. "What - "

Had any Olympic sprinters been present, they would have wept with inadequacy. Gin went from standing to a full-tilt run in less than a quarter of a second.

**X-X-X**

Gin had regained his composure, but anyone could see that his narrow eyes and plastic smile were different. His eyes were determined instead of mischievous; his smile, malevolent instead of misleading.

He had only seen her on the crest of the hill, over Rukia's shoulder, but it was enough. Six years was nothing; if he lived to be a thousand years old, he would not forget that figure.

He had seen a ghost - literally. The figure on the hill had been the little girl that had been standing by the river the night that Masaki Ichimaru had died.

Beneath his grin, Gin's teeth clenched. Ghosts didn't linger for six years without becoming a hollow - but the child was unchanged, exactly the same as before. Something was very badly off.

Abruptly, Gin skidded to a halt as he reached the stretch of graves where his mother's mortal remains had been laid to rest.

He breathed out heavily. There was nothing there but his sisters pointedly ignoring their mildly insane father, who appeared to be attempting to organize a game of 'gravestone dominoes.'

A minute later, a wheezing Rukia appeared behind him. "Damn it, you stupid fox," she said. "What if there _had_ been a hollow here? Without Kon, you'd be dead!"

They both pointedly ignored the muffled sound of Kon trying to expound how vital his function was despite occupying the plushie lion body that was currently at the bottom of Rukia's backpack.

Gin was not smiling. "Rukia, do ya know how my mother was killed?"

Rukia paused. "I... no..."

"It wasn't no hollow that sent Masaki to her grave," said Gin, his voice dangerously calm. "It was _me._ I killed her."

"Wh- what?" Rukia almost staggered as if she'd been physically struck.

"Ya heard me," said Gin, venom in his voice. "I killed her."

"B- but how - "

"It was six years ago," he continued. "I was nine. I hadn't really learned to tell the difference between a living human and a ghost, at least at a distance. Me and mom were walking down by the river, and I saw a girl standing on the edge..."

Rukia's eyes widened. That pattern seemed terribly familiar. No, it couldn't be...

"I thought she was going to jump in. It was raining so hard, I couldn't tell she was a ghost until I was already falling... the water was so _cold..."_ Gin's voice trailed off. "When I woke up, mom was on top of me. But she wouldn't wake up. She wouldn't wake up ever again."

Rukia pushed her suspicions aside. "I... I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have brought it up..."

"It's alright." Gin still wasn't grinning, but his face had lost some of its menace. "Today is the day I remember these things, anyway. I just..."

His voice trailed off, just like before.

"There she is again," he whispered. "Something's not right."

"Who?" Said Rukia, her brow furrowing.

"The girl from the riverbank," he replied, still whispering. "I saw her a moment ago on the path, that's why I ran. Why is she here? What the hell is she?"

Rukia followed his gaze to see a strange phantom hovering among the bickering Ichimaru family. Her blood chilled at the sight.

"That - that's the - the lure of the _grand fisher!"_ She practically choked. "It - Kami! We have to get your family out of here! It could attack at any - "

"Wait, wait, slow the fuck down!" Gin almost shouted. "What the hell's a Grand Fisher?"

"It's the name of a hollow!" Rukia was practically hyperventilating. "There's a bounty on it big enough to bankrupt a lesser noble clan! It's not even a Menos, and it's still managed to evade the Gotei Juusan-tai for more than a hundred years! It's killed _dozens_ of Shinigami! It - "

"It's gonna _die."_

Rukia halted as if she'd run into a wall. "W- what?"

Gin's eyes were open. She swallowed an involuntary pang of fear.

"After six years of blaming myself for mom's death, you've just told me it's this hollow that lured me in. I've got a bone the size of Tokyo to pick with this masked freak. Give me Kon."

"But, the Grand Fisher's bested some of the finest Shinigami known!" Rukia almost pleaded, knowing her efforts were futile. "It can use what you love against you..."

"Stay out of this fight, Rukia." Gin unzipped her backpack and pulled out the struggling stuffed toy. "This is my enemy, and I won't suffer anyone else to fight it. Not even you."

Kon's protests were cut off as Gin abruptly squeezed the soul candy out of the plush lion's body and swallowed it. With a flash, he was back in the shihakusõ and green obi.

"Kon, Rukia, get my sisters out of here." Gin's voice carried a lethal menace. "I don't want any - "

There was a scream.

" - distractions, dammit!"

Gin drew his wakizashi as he turned, sprinting as fast as he could.

A massive, ugly hollow had knocked Yuzu against the graves and held Karin in its huge hand, like it was about to eat her. In fact, it probably was, but Gin wasn't about to let that happen.

He jumped, his reiatsu-powered spirit form flying a good five meters into the air, far higher than any physical human could. He landed like a cat on the fist that held Karin.

"Nii-san?" Karin said weakly. "You should..."

Gin tuned her out, and brought the knife down hard, slicing into the skin between the hollow's index finger and thumb.

The creature roared and dropped his sister, knocking Gin himself off in the process. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Rukia and Kon dragging his sister away as fast as they could.

Gin sprang to his feet, twirling the small blade. Even though he'd only fought with it three or four times, it already felt perfect in his hands, like an extension of his body; he could hardly imagine using anything else.

His sisters were out of danger, and Isshin didn't seem to be around. Gin allowed his grin to spread across his face, fueled by malicious glee. His evil eyes remained open, staring knives like torturer's scalpels at the colossal hollow.

"I know you can speak, Grand Fisher," he purred. "Speak... or die in silence. That works for me, too."

The hollow glared down at him. **"You,"** it rasped. **"I know you, boy. I almost ate you, some time ago. That woman saved you... she didn't have the same delicious smell as you do, but she was edible none the less."**

Gin had kept a straight face through much more skilled and subtle attempts to break his composure - the blunt taunt didn't make him blink. "I'm glad ya enjoyed it," he said. "It's traditional to give the condemned a last meal before execution."

The hollow laughed, a harsh, echoing sound. **"You? Kill me?"** It sneered. **"I have killed greater beings than you, boy! Do you think you can kill your own heart?"**

In the blink of an eye, the 'lure' was between them. Before Gin's eyes, the phantom girl changed... into a flawless replica of Masaki Ichimaru.

"Gin," she said, her voice perfect. "Please..."

Gin's teeth clenched, his smile freezing. His arms felt like they were tied to his sides with steel cables. His mother... right in front of him...

**"And **_**that's**_** why no Shinigami will ever defeat me! Never!"**

Gin's crimson eyes narrowed at the voice, becoming their habitual mask-like slits again. His arm moved.

The decapitated body of Masaki Ichimaru fell to the ground, morphing back into the river-phantom before dissolving into reishi. The silver-haired head remained suspended in front of Gin, although a second later, it also returned to its previous form.

**"WHAT?"** Roared the Grand Fisher. **"Impossible! My lure responds to the heart! No Shinigami has ever been able to strike down what they love most!"**

"Some of us are made of tougher stuff, Fisher-san," said Gin, his fake cheer matching his plastic smile. "Ya can't threaten me with the death of my own mother... I've already felt that, and dealt with it. Oh, it still hurts, but cutting down a mockery of her memory doesn't make it any worse."

He twirled his blade, then charged again.

The Grand Fisher raised his arm in defense. Time slowed down as Gin closed in.

Rukia had harassed him about how he let his reiatsu burn wild and unrestrained, never properly controlling his will or emotions. He had never quite understood what she meant.

Now, as his blade rose slower than the short hand on a clock, he could _see_ it. Adrenaline, anger, bitterness, flashing around him and permeating the air like a wildfire, flickering and sputtering, an unfocused wrath hoping to crush its enemy under sheer intensity.

That wasn't how Gin rolled at all. When he wanted to hurt someone he was precise, cold, and heartless. He _never_ lost control. This wouldn't do. His fake grin diminished, giving way to a very real and very _menacing_ smile.

He exhaled as the blade reached its zenith, collecting his thoughts and hardening his mind into a single spear of malice. His reiatsu seethed with newfound power, coalescing around his sword - and compressing the flickering conflagration into a white-hot torch of death.

The blade glittered in the sunlight as he brought the wakizashi down, feeling flesh and bone part like water under the assault of his merciless strike. The Grand Fisher roared in agony.

**"HOWWW?!"** It howled as it cradled the stump of its severed hand. Gin's one-handed blow had sliced through his wrist as if it wasn't there, cutting the huge hand clean off. The tip of the blade had left a deep groove in the monster's mask, and the weakened region had cracked; had the weapon been an inch longer, the mask would have been completely destroyed and the hollow would have been purified.

**"A mere fledgeling! Not even a seated officer! How could you have defeated me? Where did that power come from?"** The creature gibbered. **"You grew ten times stronger in an instant, like it was nothing! How can this be?"**

Gin's lethal focus didn't waver. Now that he saw how to do it, maintaining a mind of death was remarkably easy. "Hold still," he purred, "and I'll solve all your confusion." He pulled back for another strike.

**"Gyah! I know when I'm beaten."** The hollow pushed itself backwards, and the air behind it seemed to tear open, revealing a black, swirling aperture. **"I'm no fool! Find something else to kill, boy, 'cause you won't get me today!"**

The hollow took another step back and the 'rip' closed, leaving the graveyard empty. Gin searched around him, fearful of a trap, but felt no trace of the hollow's reiatsu. It was gone.

Finally, he released the tension in his mind and his muscles, falling to his knees. He only just managed to dig the point of his sword into the asphalt, stopping himself from keeling over completely.

"Mom," he gasped, fighting back tears. _"Mom..."_

**X-X-X**

Some time later, Gin returned to his family. As far as they remembered, they had decided to go on ahead to the graveyard's shrine, while he had decided to stay by the grave a little while longer.

His sisters were off to the side, talking about something Gin couldn't catch. His father was, for once, acting serious - he was regarding the shrine silently, a cigarette in his hand.

Gin stopped a few yards away. "I never knew ya smoked, dad."

Isshin looked up. "I don't, actually. Gave it up years ago, before the twins were born - hell, right after you were born, really."

Gin raised an eyebrow. "Then why..."

"Long time ago... a few years before you were born... Masaki once told me I looked cool when I had a cigarette in my hand." He absent-mindedly took a drag, blowing a cloud of smoke. "Come to think of it, that might have been the only time she ever complimented me on my looks. But anyway, that's why. Every year, on this day, I smoke one cigarette."

There was a moment of silence.

Isshin flicked the stub away. "Keep biting it back and you'll accidentally cut your tongue off."

Gin clenched his teeth. "God _damn_ it!" He hissed, his grin fading. "Why? Why don't ya blame me? It was my goddamn fault she fell into the river, damn it!"

"Don't be an idiot."

For a second, Gin's eyes opened in surprise. "Huh?"

"It wasn't your fault, Gin - you couldn't have known you were chasing a ghost. And even if it had been, Masaki would never forgive me if I blamed you." He gave a wry half-smile. "She died out of love for you, kiddo. Hating yourself over it doesn't seem like a very good way to return that love, does it?"

Gin hung his head slightly. "But..."

Isshin sighed. "Listen, Gin," he said. "Being tragic and melancholy is all very cool, and sure the ladies swoon over it, but you're too damn young for that shit."

Gin raised his eyebrows in surprise. His father sounded... oddly reminiscent of a bitter war veteran.

"Don't waste your life blaming yourself when her death wasn't even your fault. Live. Be happy. Don't get bogged down in sorrows at your age." Isshin's goofy smile finally returned. "Besides, like I said, Masaki would never forgive me if I let you while away in misery."

Gin said nothing, his narrow eyes avoiding his father's gaze.

"We should probably get home," said Isshin, his trademark crazy gleam returning to his eye. "OOOOH DAUGHTERS OF MINE! TIME FOR - "

Well aware of how long his father could take to say the simplest of things, Gin tuned out the rest.

**X-X-X**

**'sup. Since y'all have been so nice to me, I figure I might as well post my list of potential alter-protagonists here. **

**(oh, by the way, if you feel like you want to write one from my in-progress list, by all means go ahead - I'm sure you'll come up with something more interesting than mine.)**

**_in progress_:**  
**Gin Ichimaru**  
**Sõsuke Aizen**  
**Tatsuki Arisawa**

_**First Tier (best candidates):**_  
**Jûshiro Ukitake**  
**Kaname Tõsen**  
**Shaolin Feng**  
**Tõshirõ Hitsugaya**  
**Uryū Ishida **

_**Second Tier (wouldn't try them just on a whim, but not unworkable):**_  
**Byakuya Kuchiki**  
**Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto**  
**Izuru Kira**  
**Kenpachi Zaraki**  
**Rukia Kuchiki**  
**Ulquiorra Cífer**

_**Crack Tier (...well, yeah):**_  
**Hiyori Saguraki**  
**Kisuke Urahara**  
**Mashiro Kuna**  
**Orihime Inoue**  
**Yoruichi Shihõin**

**See y'all later.**


	4. A Type of Jam

**AN: I've included my headcanon for exactly what it is that Quincy weapons do. Hope it doesn't clash too badly with anyone else's personal interpretation.**

**And yes, you read the chapter title right...**

**X-X-X**

**The Striking Snake**

**ch4**

_**A Type of Jam**_

**X-X-X**

Foxy eyes surveyed the alley through slitted lids. There was a cowering plus soul, but - once again - no hollow.

Gin sighed slightly. "Nope," he called back to his companion. "Another false alarm."

Rukia halted, panting. _"Again?"_ She said angrily. "This is the fourth time this week!"

Gin's eyes swept the alley. Nothing. He turned his grinning visage back to Rukia.

"Ya might want to get that phone checked. Looks like it's broken." He sheathed his dagger.

"It can't be!" She snapped. "These soul pagers are too simple to fabricate a false alarm! And the sensor network would never break - the previous Division 12 captain built it to last, and Captain Kurotsuchi keeps it religiously maintained. I've never even heard of an error."

"Hah, whatever ya say, but it seems like - " Gin paused. "Wait. Hey, you!"

The plus soul, who had apparently been an overweight young man in life, looked up. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

"Yeah, you. Ya look pretty scared," Gin remarked. "What was it that scared ya? Other than myself, of course."

The man shook. "A- a huge beast," he said, his voice quivering. "It must have been as tall as a house..."

"That's a hollow all right," said Rukia. "Our equipment isn't malfunctioning, then... but who - or, indeed, what - saved you?"

"I - I - I'm sorry," he replied. "I closed my eyes when I hid in here... I didn't see... all I heard were these weird noises, like something from Star Wars..."

Rukia frowned. "Sounds like some kind of reishi weapon. Not many zanpakutõ would do that, at least not in their sealed state... and it doesn't seem likely that anyone would use Shikai against a basic hollow. Besides, hardly anyone except officers can effectively use Shikai; why would an officer be here in Karakura?"

Gin waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, we'll figure it out. Now, come here, you, and I'll send you on to Soul Society."

**X-X-X**

In school, Gin found Keigo and Mizuiro whining over their mediocre-to-terrible exam results.

"Exams aren't everything in life, ya know," he said amiably, although his snake-like grin was less than friendly. "Ya shouldn't give up on life just 'cause you didn't do that well on a written test."

"Ah! Gin! My creepiest friend!" Keigo put his arm around Gin's shoulder, despite the awkwardness of doing so - at six feet one, Gin was significantly taller than his five-seven friend. "What wisdom you speak! Come, let us share the pain of being certified morons! We shall be friends for life!"

"What do you mean?" Said Mizuiro, confused.

"Huh?" Replied Keigo. "Well, if we both - "

Mizuiro reached into his backpack, unearthing a piece of paper. "This is the exam results of the top 50 students."

Keigo looked at the list. "Huh? There's no way Gin would be on - "

He stared at the listings. First place, Ishida Uryuu... second place, Kuneida Ryo... third... place... Ichimaru... Gin...

Keigo looked up, betrayal evident on his face.

"Hey," said Gin, his grin almost widening. "I can't help being a genius. I don't even study."

"Lies! It must be!" The melodramatic teenager ranted. "All those times you didn't want to hang out with us, you were secretly studying! What treachery!"

"No... really." Gin scratched the back of his head. "Most days I just sorta wander around town alone and watch people. I don't study at all; the tests are just dead easy."

"Say..." the ever-observant Mizuiro said. "Where's Kuchiki-san? Normally you two are inseparable."

"Oh, well," Gin waved his hand dismissively. "Ever since that strange incident with the TV medium, people've been givin' us funny looks when they see us together. She's been keepin' away from me because of it."

"Oh?" Replied Keigo slyly - or at least, what he thought was slyly. "What are the funny looks for?"

"I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure people think we're fuckin' behind the scenes. It's ridiculous, really."

"Gin!"

The silver fox turned, just in time to see a small figure jump up and slam a green pill into his mouth.

Ignoring his attempts to protest, Rukia dragged him along by the collar of his shihakusõ. "This alert is close, _real_ close. I only got it a few seconds ago. If we hurry we might get a chance to see who it is that's slaying hollows on the sly!"

Gin smoothly pushed himself up and flipped Rukia around; she was forced to grab onto his shoulders to keep from falling. In his 'soul form,' as he thought of it, he could run far, far faster than she could.

"Alright, Rukia-chan," he said jovially. "Tell me where to go-o!"

**X-X-X**

"Nothing but a plus ghost, again." Gin slid back into his body, coughing up the soul candy and sliding it into his pocket.

Gin didn't shout when he got angry. He purred. It was more menacing by a _large_ margin.

"It's getting tiring to keep chasing shadows, Rukia," he said softly. "When I agreed to patrol for ya, I didn't agree to this. I'm pretty sure ya run pointlessly without my help."

"I - I'm sorry! I can't use my reiatsu sense right now, so I can only use the warnings that come through the sensor net. I don't know anything more than you do!"

Gin paused as he was about to hiss an admonishment. Then his grin seemed to grow even wider. _"Reiatsu sense,_ ya say?" He purred. "Now that, Rukia-chan, sounds like a useful skill."

"It is."

One tall and one short head turned to face the newcomer.

"Good evening, Ichimaru, Kuchiki." The black-haired teenager was even thinner than Gin was, and while he was slightly shorter, he was still unusually tall. He was dressed in an unusual white collar jacket over white dress pants, both trimmed with navy blue.

Gin raised his eyebrows. "Them's odd clothes," he said. "Ya look kinda like a priest."

"Never mind that," Rukia huffed. "How do you know our names?"

The thin boy ignored Rukia. "Ichimaru, you can see spirits, can you not?"

"Huh?" Gin's grin gave way to an equally fake expression of surprise. "What're ya talking about? Of _course_ humans can't see spirits. _If_ they exist."

The boy re-adjusted his glasses, as if signifying his lack of belief. "A new hollow is almost here."

And just like magic, Rukia's soul phone beeped. Gin blinked. No way it was a coincidence.

_Reiatsu sense..._ Gin already knew how to feel the shape of his own reiatsu. He focused his mind's eye on the pattern of spiritual energy around him.

Lacking a lethal intent to give it focus, his own reiatsu flapped about him as loosely as his baggy school uniform, which had never fit right on his thin frame. He stretched out as if to feel the air around him -

A bright blue touch; _resentment, wounded pride, anger._ Cold and well-focused. Tightly clamped and controlled. It would have been very hard to notice at a distance, but the strange kid was standing right there. And, further off...

_The iron smell of blood. Rotting meat. Salt from tears. Despair. The stench of misery and death._ A hopeless, bitter feeling; one might even call it... _hollow._

Gin opened his eyes, and the other boy visibly flinched at the sight of the sanguine orbs. "You're right," said Gin, almost excited. "I can feel it. I can _smell_ it. C'mon, Rukia - "

"Congratulations, Ichimaru. You've managed the most day-one skill a student could be asked to demonstrate." The dark-haired kid raised an eyebrow. "And you call yourself a _death god?"_

The boy pointed his hand out in the direction the hollow was approaching. A strange cross icon fell from his sleeve, suspended by a thin chain around his wrist.

Then he moved his other hand around - and a huge longbow of shimmering blue light materialized in his first hand, along with the crackling energy noise that the first soul had described.

The archer pulled the string back, and an equally photonic arrow appeared. The boy stood in a perfect archer's stance as the hollow turned the corner of the street, moving into view.

The boy's fingers twitched, and the arrow flew. The ray of blue light collided dead center with hollow's mask, shattering it with the single hit, and the hollow's body instantly began to dissolve.

As the dust of the reishi burst cleared, there was a slow clapping noise. "Not bad fer ya'! That's a neat weapon, _way_ cooler than my little - "

Rukia proceeded to slap the back of Gin's head. "Nevermind this idiot," she growled. "I'll ask this plainly. What the hell are you?"

"I am Uryuu Ishida... and I'm a Quincy."

Gin raised an eyebrow. It wasn't every day that someone declared themselves a 'destroyer monk.'

"And you know what?" Uryuu turned to face the pair. "I _hate_ Shinigami."

**X-X-X**

"I _hate_ Shinigami."

The words seemed to echo down the street.

"Huh?" Gin put on his best confused frown.

"You don't get it, Ichimaru Gin?" Uryuu's eyebrows lowered. "What I'm saying is, _I hate you."_

**X-X-X**

Back in school, the bulletin of the top 50 students had been posted on the classroom door.

"Wow... fourth place." Tatsuki beamed. "You really know how to study, Orihime. Gin only beat you by a single place. I don't know how he does it..."

"Well, Ichimaru is a genius!" Cooed Orihime. "Of course he'd get great marks without studying. He can understand things after looking at them just once!"

The two girls moved off, Tatsuki admonishing her friend for her obvious crush. They were quickly replaced by a cluster of boys - namely, the odd-ball group that was Gin, Keigo, Mizuiro and Chad.

"Hah! Gin, you know only _true_ morons are allowed in our group!" Said Keigo, grabbing Mizuiro's shoulder. "Look, Comrade Kojima! Such treachery! We shall never again consort with Gin for this! C'mon, Chad, how about us three true fools hang out down by the - "

"Hm." Chad was not one to waste words when unnecessary. Keigo and Mizuiro followed his gaze, to where he was pointing at the list.

_'Sado Yasutora - 9th place'_

Keigo drew back as if stung, dragging the helpless Mizuiro after him. "Traitors! Traitors everywhere!" The pair quickly vanished down the corridor.

Gin's grin was as wide as ever, and his blood-drop eyes were still hidden behind their slits. However, those that knew him well would have noticed he was deep in thought - he was hardly making any effort to creep out his classmates at all.

_'I hate you...'_

Gin had heard those words before, but usually it was only after someone had endured his unnerving personality for at _least_ ten minutes. However, Uryuu had said it right off the bat - and it wasn't the kind of insincere declaration one normally got from teenagers. Uryuu had really meant it; Gin had felt the malice pouring off his reiatsu in thick waves.

He had invaded Gin's patrols without so much as a by-your-leave, then had the arrogance to scorn Gin's methods. He did not get irritated easily, but Uryuu seemed to have managed it.

"I don't plan ta go easy on ya next time we meet," muttered Gin to himself. "Better watch yer back, Ishida..."

"Huh? What's that about Ishida?"

Gin looked up, to see a girl with long orange hair. "Oh, Orihime. I was just... wait... ya know Ishida?"

"Of course I know him. He's in our class, after all. Were you looking for him?"

Mentally, Gin reprimanded himself, though his mask did not shift. He often forgot how personable Orihime could be - her cheerful, guileless face was a sharp contrast to his own intimidating visage.

"Ishida Uryuu, right? Look!" She pointed to the exam ranking list. "See?"

Gin looked.

_'Ishida Uryuu - 1st place'_

Beneath his serpentine grin, Gin's teeth clenched. First place? He was being one-upped on the class listings, too?

He exhaled slowly. No, he knew better. The great Gin Ichimaru would not be riled _that_ easily. Uryuu could not have known Gin was a Shinigami for more than two weeks; if he was excelling in the exams now, then the most likely explanation was simply that he was a dedicated and studious person. There was no vendetta at work there.

"See? Class group three, remember? Well, actually, Ishida-kun doesn't really stand out from the crowd the way you do, Gin... perhaps it's normal not to notice him..."

"Oh?" Said Gin, his mock cheer in full force. "You seem to know him pretty well, Orihime. Are you two close?"

"Oh, not at all," she said. "But he's in my handicraft club!"

Gin's confused frown appeared. "Handi... craft club?"

**X-X-X**

Gin left school feeling slightly bemused. A fully mortal human had, in one day, beat him at hollow-hunting, exam marks and - he couldn't believe it even annoyed him - _needlework._

Naturally, he had decided to follow Uryuu home. Following people while remaining undetected was a skill that no-one had ever outdone Gin at - he moved like a panther.

Thus, he was slightly surprised to hear Uryuu speak up at what he guessed was probably the half-way mark of the journey.

"Do you intend to follow me all the way home, Ichimaru Gin?"

Gin cursed himself for whatever aspect of stealth he'd slipped on, but maintained his joviality. "Well, uh, yeah. That's kinda the point of followin' ya, after all. How long have ya been able ta tell?"

"Since the moment where you and Inoue were spying on me from the classroom doorway."

Gin raised an eyebrow. "Pretty good eye on yer part. I'm as innocuous as I am quiet, when I put the effort in - if I say so myself."

The Quincy snorted. "You may be _physically_ stealthy, but with your reiatsu blowing about you like that, a monkey would have been able to tell."

Gin scratched his chin. "Oh, yeah," he mused. "Yeah, I should probably get used to reining that in, shouldn't I. I guess stealth works differently for spirit beings, hmm..."

"Yes, your abilities of detection and concealment are pathetic," said Uryuu, adjusting his glasses. "You may be powerful, but you utterly lack finesse. If you were at all skilled, you would have noticed my existence long before today."

"What can I say?" Gin spread his arms, wide as his smile. "I have a crappy mentor. She'd rather read manga than train me. I had to figure out that reiatsu-feeling thing all on my own."

"You should be more observant." Uryuu's eyes narrowed to just over twice the width of Gin's. "I've been aware of your unusually high reiatsu since _forever_. Yes, I noticed back in mid-may when you acquired the powers of a Shinigami. And yes... I know Kuchiki Rukia's real identity."

Gin flipped his grin in a comical display of facial dexterity, leaving him with an equally exaggerated frown of bemusement. "So... where are ya going with all this?"

"Where do you think I'm going?"

"Neh!" Gin shrugged and popped his neck. "I have better things to play than word games. Here's where _I'm_ going with this: yer on my turf, _Jam-san._ Off."

"That's _Quincy_ to you."

"Yeah, Quince. It's a type of _jam."_

The two boys glared daggers at each other for almost a full minute.

Finally, Uryuu straightened. "How about a challenge, Ichimaru Gin?" He said. "Between I, a Quincy, and you, a Shinigami... we shall see who surpasses the other. I shall make you see that the Shinigami are _unnecessary_ to this world."

"Suits me," said Gin, grinning widely as ever. "I never liked your jam, anyway. Too sour, y'know?"

**X-X-X**

Rukia approached the shop, rolling her eyes at the bickering kids - Jinta and Ururu - that Urahara employed as helpers. Tessai was literally holding them apart by their collars, yet they were still arguing furiously.

"Tessai!"

The giant of a man turned to face the tiny Shinigami. "Kuchiki-dono! How good to see you! What brings you here today?"

"Thanks, Tessai." She took a deep breath. "I need to talk to Urahara... is he here?"

"It's lucky you came today," replied Tessai, dropping the squabbling children. "He was planning on leaving tomorrow. Please, head right in."

With only slight hesitation, Rukia stepped into the shop.

To a mortal, the place appeared perfectly normal: _'Urahara Shoten,'_ a convenience store which mostly sold candy. Its location wasn't much, but it seemed to turn enough of a profit to stay in business.

To any supernatural visitors, it was a lot more than that; it was a black market of various experimental, rare, or illegal items. The owner, Kisuke Urahara, was a very mysterious figure - his jovial and friendly demeanor was about as transparent as coal. All that Rukia knew for certain about him was that he was a condemned ex-Shinigami who had escaped execution, he was a devilishly intelligent scientist and engineer, and that his reiatsu was a _lot_ more powerful than hers and Gin's put together.

"Ahh! Kuchiki Rukia, my most faithful customer! What can I do for you today?" The eccentric blonde twirled his ever-present fan. "And before you ask, I gave you a chance for a refund on that faulty mod soul - I'm not taking him back now."

"No, I'm not here about Kon. He's annoying, but Gin seems to find him tolerable." Rukia flicked her hair in annoyance. "A fine way to run a business, Urahara. I've been trying to call you for two _days."_

"Oh!" He put on a tragic expression. "Why, how neglectful of me! I do deeply apologize! I was collecting some materials for my recent projects - "

Rukia held a hand up. "Spare me, Urahara-san. You know I won't understand any of it." She looked back up to meet his eyes. "Urahara-san... what do you know about the word 'Quincy'?"

There was a silence.

Urahara straightened his hat. _"Quincy,_ huh?"

"Yes. Me and Gin encountered a kid who claimed to be a Quincy."

Urahara actually looked slightly serious. "That's a name that I've not heard in..." He looked thoughtful. "Oh my, a long time, a _long_ time. A hundred and fifty years, at least. Possibly two hundred. My, how the years fly by when you're away from the court of pure souls..."

Rukia drew back. "A hundred... a hundred and fifty - "

The shop door closed behind her. "Two hundred is correct, Kisuke," came Tessai's deep voice. "A long time indeed. I had thought I'd never hear the name Quincy again."

"Two hundred..." Rukia shook her head. "What are you two talking about?! What the hell's a Quincy?"

Kisuke sighed. _"Quincy..._ once, they could be found all over the mortal world. They were human. Spiritually aware, powerful, skilled... but human. They made it their charge to defend the living from hollows... who, I think we'll all agree, don't take much notice of the difference between a living human and a ghost." He snapped his fan shut. "They were renowned hollow hunters in their time, almost rivaling the Gotei Juusan-Tai in efficiency if not in numbers - "

Rukia raised an eyebrow. "Wait... the Gotei Juusan-Tai has great numbers?"

"Each division is _thirty thousand_ men, Rukia. Did you really get the impression that Rukongai and the Court of Pure Souls houses and feeds a full _three hundred and ninety thousand_ soldiers? The _vast_ majority of the Gotei are scattered around the other, smaller cities in soul society... or stationed on patrol in the living world. But I digress..." He straightened. "Yes, the Quincy were great, once. A huge order, with a rich tradition and powerful warriors. But their time is no more. It was _thought_ that the last of the Quincy bloodlines was destroyed over two hundred years ago."

Rukia frowned. "Destroyed? They didn't die off on their own?"

"No, they did not." Kisuke tapped his fan to his lips thoughtfully. "In truth, the Quincy came into conflict with the Death Gods as soon as they first started hunting hollows. The critical difference between them - the divide which was in place as long as the Quincy existed - was whether or not to kill the hollows."

Rukia cocked her head. "I don't understand. Don't both Shinigami and Quincy kill..." She halted. "Oh, no... you can't mean..."

"Yes, that is it, Rukia," Urahara said heavily. "A natural human thought, to be sure; any Shinigami would think it, were it not that our commanders possess the... call it _pragmatism..._ that only comes with eons of age. The Quincy do not possess zanpakutõ; their weapons have no soul of their own. Thus the reishi weapons they used could kill a hollow soul... but not purify it. The broken, impure reiatsu of the soul could not pass on to the soul society, and could only linger until it was reborn in the human world again. But such faulty rebirths, lacking the proper completion of the cycle... _tangled_ the soul, so to speak, eroding its sanity. When it died it would become a hollow very quickly, and if it fell to a Quincy again, it would grow more corrupt and broken with each rebirth – until a Shinigami could properly purify it. But, horrible though it is, that is not the worst of it."

Rukia raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, the worst of it is the fact that the improperly purified souls would not pass on. But souls that died in the Soul Society would still return to the human world. The river of souls flows in a circle – but the Quincy's methods created a dam in the water." Kisuke tapped his hat with his fan. "I hardly need tell you what _that_ meant."

Rukia's eyes widened. "No... how could they be so..."

"Like I said - the Quincy were living mortals, and the living always lack foresight. Of course the Shinigami clashed with them. Protecting the balance of Samsara is, after all, the most sacred duty of any death god; and the Quincy's methods upset that balance." His fan slid slowly open again. "When the tribe was small, it was trivial. But once the Quincy reached a great number, the balance became noticeably broken. New souls only grew among the living, and old souls slowly drained out of soul society. The very foundations of our cosmos were collapsing... cracks were appearing in both worlds. And thus, Yamamoto made the darkest decision in his one-thousand-something years as captain-commander."

"Genocide," Rukia whispered.

"Yes... extermination of the Quincy tribe. However one might wish to defend it, it was genocide, as surely as the holocaust in the living world. I used to wonder whether or not it was a justified act, however black its method... after all, a total disruption of Samsara would bring about an apocalypse... but it was not my decision, and in any case, what is done cannot be undone." Kisuke stood up. "I am... interested to learn that the Court Guards apparently missed one."

Rukia was visibly shaken by the revelation that the infallible Gotei Juusan-Tai would order such an evil thing. "I... thank you for this information, Urahara-san."

"Ah! It is nothing." Kisuke waved his hand. "Come back anytime!"

**X-X-X**


	5. What is it that

**AN: Only two reviews for the last chapter? That's cold T.T**

**actually, it's not a big deal really, because... all this junk is basically filler. **

**Oh, and I feel like I should warn you... in chapter six, I end up doing something that many bleach fans would consider irredeemably perverse.**

**X-X-X**

**The Striking Snake **

**ch5**

_**What is it that...**_

**X-X-X**

"Right here, right now?"

"You heard me."

"Yeah, yeah," said Gin. "Just checking. Boy, sure is a good thing I've got Kon on me."

The tall silver fox tossed the green pill into his mouth. In an instant, he was standing beside himself, dressed in the loose black kimono of a death god.

"Funny, Shinigami usually have white Obi sashes, not green." Uryuu looked at him critically. "And are you kidding me? That's barely a _pocketknife."_

"Don't knock her till ya try her. Besides, I hate long unwieldy swords anyway." Gin's grin intensified. "Kon, watch the match from a safe distance. And you, Ishida... explain to me the rules of our little duel."

"Very well." Uryuu reached into his pocket and pulled out what looked like some sort of round... biscuit, but white as chalk. "The match begins with this."

"Huh?" Gin regarded the strange object. "A biscuit?"

"This, Ichimaru-san, is hollow bait." He twirled it in his fingers. "It is made with compressed reishi that mimics the smell of human reiatsu. If I crush this, many hollows will be drawn to Karakura town. So the challenge is this: the one who defeats the most of the gathered hollows in 24 hours is the victor. Easy to understand, I hope?"

Gin cocked an eyebrow. "For someone who claims ta be a protector of Karakura... that's _cold,_ Ishida," he purred. "Yer putting a lot of people at risk for our game."

The Quincy lowered his eyebrows in a cruel smirk. "Keep your morality to yourself, Shinigami."

He snapped the hollow-bait, and Gin watched as it crumbled into dust.

"I need not worry about the people of Karakura. I can kill every hollow that makes its way here." He pushed his glasses up slightly. "And if you have the confidence to challenge me as protector of Karakura... you should be able to do the same."

There was a loud, echoing wailing over the rooftops of Karakura.

In a flash, the archer's bow was out, an arrow loosed. "That's one down. I hope you - "

A flash of focused green reiatsu tickled his senses, and Uryuu turned to see the tall Shinigami dragging his blade across the mask of a hollow behind him. "Keep yer eyes on your _own_ fights, Ishida," purred Gin. "I ain't the type ta lie about my accomplishments, and I don't think ya are either, so let's just focus on the killing. If we're watching each other's backs instead of our own, we'll both end up dead."

Uryuu smirked. "As you wish," he replied, drawing his bow once more.

**X-X-X**

Sitting on the bench, Tatsuki sighed.

She had recently won the gold medal in the Tokyo karate championship, and she was on track for the national competition. The team was training more and more often in preparation.

And yet Tatsuki was feeling a little disconcerted from her training. There was a reason, but she certainly wasn't telling anyone about it.

She sighed again, finally glaring at the pair of oblivious ghosts floating over the practice field. They had been flirting all _day,_ and Tatsuki was growing extremely irritated with their constant background noise.

Dammit! She had been happy her entire life with not seeing ghosts. But ever since that sleepover at Orihime's house and those foggy, dreamlike memories of Ichimaru and Kuchiki slaying the strange monster... and then the incident with the T.V. medium and the monster in the abandoned hospital, again seeing a strangely-dressed Gin slaying the beast... she had been seeing more of them every day.

It was driving her nuts. The ghosts weren't used to people who could see or hear them, and thus they tended to carry on as if they were invisible - which could disrupt her thoughts at the worst of times.

"Tatsuki-chan!" She turned her head to see Orihime waving at her. "Can we talk for a second?"

Tatsuki swatted at another ghost which had floated up beside her, then realized what that looked like to Orihime. "Um. Er, sorry. Yeah, what did you want to - "

Both girls started as a sudden chill rolled over them. It was immediately followed by a distinctive crashing sound and a thousand tiny jingling noises. From the school, Tatsuki could hear some students yelling about how all the windows had shattered simultaneously.

Eyes widening, Tatsuki sprinted towards the school building.

**X-X-X**

**"Goooowaaaaahhhh - !"**

Two quick flicks of Gin's blade, and the hollow died.

"Three," he muttered to himself, inwardly grimacing beneath his grin. "I know they'll be hunting Karin... damn, she won't be in school right now."

Where did Karin Ichimaru go after school? She often practiced soccer with some neighborhood kids, but _where?_

Gin forced himself to be calm, slowing to a leisurely-seeming walk. His narrow eyes closed completely, and his mind focused on the spirit world.

The _pallid, reeking_ souls of hollows were everywhere, mostly converging on him and Ishida. The Quincy was no longer restraining himself - his spirit was like a bright pillar of azure light, the _metallic_ feel of his steely pride permeating the area. Gin's own overpoweringly _dry _and _cold_ reiatsu was also loose, attracting the attention of more than a few hollows -

There were two more congregations. Smaller than the ones around him and Uryuu, but noticeable. At the epicenter of one was... _steely strength_, _determination,_ and... _warmth, overbearing good will._ He couldn't say for certain, but he would guess that was Tatsuki and Orihime.

At the center of the other... _red-hot, outspoken emotion, violet arrogance, youthful ferocity._ That was unmistakably Karin.

Gin's smile was like the jaws of a steel trap. He hated the thought of leaving his classmates alone, but he knew Tatsuki was strong - and even though his friends were important to him, his sisters came first.

Another hollow appeared in front of him, and he cut it down like it was paper. "Four." There was another at the end of the street - too far to reach quickly.

Damn that archer, thought Gin. If only I had a ranged weapon...

_"Range?"_ A sultry yet menacing voice sounded in his head. _"Do you wish to spear your enemies from afar?"_

Gin's already slitted eyes narrowed to micrometers.

_"Speak my name, Ichimaru Gin, and wake my power."_ Man, that voice really _was_ weird. _"Speak my name! My name is - ..."_

But there was only silence, as if the word was cut out of the air.

"I can't hear ya," whispered Gin. "I can't hear yer name, whoever ya are. I'll do fine on my own, thanks."

He sprinted. The hollow was stalking a human, and he was too far away... too far... he needed to move faster than mere muscle could propel him.

Well, no time like the present to experiment...

Gin momentarily abandoned his battle-focus and instead concentrated on his spirit body, willing himself to become the purest expression of velocity. He felt his reiatsu collect behind him, and burst.

In the blink of an eye the scenery shifted by almost a hundred feet. He found himself between the oblivious humans and the hollow.

A flash-step. Not bad, for his first try.

Gin turned his attention back to the world, slicing the hollow's mask in half. He had no time to waste.

"Five..."

**X-X-X**

Yasutora 'Chad' Sado was busy being berated by his fellow band members when a sudden chill ran through his system.

"Eh? Chad, are you listening?"

The tall boy turned. He could have sworn...

And then the street exploded in front of him.

A massive cloud of dust rose. Around Chad, people were coughing and babbling about a gas explosion.

Chad's brow lowered slightly. Gas explosions were... fiery, and the crater in the asphalt was blasted downwards, not up and out. This had looked more like... something heavy had hit the street at high speed.

But there was nothing there...

No, there was _definitely_ something there. The dust was settling, but a large area remained... hazy. Blurry. It was shaped like some kind of... monster.

The haze shifted, and Chad heard - as if coming from underwater - a loud, freakish scream.

The 'haze' charged towards him. The immense teenager crossed his arms instinctively - and a great force impacted his forearms.

So much for nothing being there.

The monster lashed out again, and this time, even the immovable Chad gritted his teeth with the pain.

But the thing wasn't attacking anyone else yet, only him. It was big, and could cause a lot of collateral damage...

He had to take this fight away from the populated street.

He pushed the invisible monster's... whatever it was, off him. As fast as he could, he ducked around the blob and headed towards the industrial districts.

**X-X-X**

_"Ichimaru! _Look out - "

The soccer ball hit Karin square in the center of the forehead, breaking her daze.

"Oh... sorry." She rubbed her forehead. The boys cowered in shock, probably because she hadn't yelled at any of them.

"Ichimaru, what's up with you? You're not concentrating at - "

"I'm calling it a day."

Karin proceeded to ignore the boys, blithely walking away. She didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. Behind her, they raved and threatened, but she paid them no mind - she could beat them all up, probably even all at the same time.

If she was honest with herself, she hadn't been in the mood for soccer for a while. Ever since around lunchtime, there had been a weird feeling in the air. It worried her, somehow.

She sighed as she reached the gate of the park. Then she stopped.

There was a very tall, strongly-built teenager with dark tanned skin leaning against one of the gate pillars and breathing heavily. Karin had only seen him once or twice before, but he did kinda stand out.

"You're Gin's friend, aren't you?" She said. "The parakeet guy... what was your name? Chad, wasn't it?"

"Yeah..." The young man's brow furrowed in confusion before realization dawned. "You're Gin's little sister," he observed.

"Yeah." Karin raised an eyebrow. "Hey, why did a grown-up like you come down here to the park? Did you - "

She was abruptly cut off as Chad picked her up bodily and leapt forward, charging a full eight feet in a single bound. Behind them, where he had just stood, the ground erupted into a plume of dust with a loud crash.

"What - what was that?!" She stuttered.

"Something big and dangerous," replied Chad. "And I can hardly see it. It may be after you."

Chad set the girl down, turning to face the beast. The huge blob of haze in the air appeared to have stopped moving.

Not that a lack of movement meant much. It could be re-assessing the situation, or preparing a stronger attack...

The haze shifted. Indistinct as it was, Chad couldn't follow it.

Karin's eyes widened. "Mister - uh - _Chad!_ Behind you!"

Chad whirled and stepped back, crossing his arms again in case he misjudged the distance. The haze flashed before his eyes, and more dust filled the air.

Then he looked again. The haze was gone.

He gritted his teeth. "Ichimaru," he said in a low voice. "Can you see it better than I can?"

"It's _right there!_ It - wow, you really can't see it, can you?" Karin bit her lip. "Duck! It's swinging from the right!"

Chad ducked, and rolled. It was hard to follow the monster's movements when all he had to go on was a vague patch of what looked like heat shimmer.

Without hesitating, Karin jumped up on Chad's back, clamping her legs around his torso and gripping his shoulders. "Look, I can see it clearly. You can't. I'll be your eyes, 'kay?"

Chad hesitated. "But you'll be at risk - "

"I've seen these things before," she hissed. "And I'm not backing out now. I want to know what connection these things have with Gin, damn it - ah! Left!"

Chad blindly raised his left arm, and felt something strike it with the force one might expect from an out-of-control car. He staggered.

"Chad! Are you okay?"

Chad only wished he could see it more clearly.

He had always been strong, and he had always sought to use his immense strength to defend those weaker than himself. He cursed that he was apparently too weak to best this monster.

There was the faintest of voices, like the whisper of a breeze through the grass.

_Is this strength, this protective power, what you truly want?_

His eyes narrowed.

_Would you call this power... your deepest desire?_

Chad felt something stir within him. He raised his giant right arm, bringing behind it all the power he could muster.

There was a flash that momentarily outshone the sun.

**X-X-X**

The tiny yet lethal blade twirled, spun, and struck.

"Twelve."

Gin was on a roll. He grinned all the time, of course, but his glittering teeth hadn't been hidden for ten full minutes.

He landed, bounding forward again and stabbing the wakizashi into another hollow's mask. "Thirteen!" he sang joyously.

Abruptly, he felt a pulse of reiatsu that he didn't recognize. Unlike the emotional, crackling reiatsu patterns of his various friends, this one was _c_alm and hard, like a stone wall - unmoving and invulnerable, built to defend against anything.

He knew who that was. It was Chad, and he was right near Karin. How Chad's spiritual power had suddenly rocketed was beyond him, but Gin didn't particularly care - he was just relieved that Karin was probably safe.

He skidded to a halt as he gutted his fourteenth hollow. Perhaps it was time to step back and re-assess the situation. From what he could sense of the jam - uh, Quincy - he was probably doing slightly better on raw numbers, but neither of them seemed to be pursuing an effective containment strategy to prevent civilian deaths. 'Kill every hollow you see' was all very well, but -

Gin winced as a headache struck him. Then he staggered, feeling a ringing in his ears. The cloying reiatsu of the weak hollows all around him was suddenly overshadowed by a much _deeper, darker_ taste of despair.

He looked up across the rooftops, towards Karakura's central park.

And, before his slitted eyes, the sky ripped open.

**X-X-X**


	6. you most deeply desire?

**Oohh I din't, I didn't, I... did. _Whoops. _**

**I'll understand if you want to stop reading after this chapter, as I'm well aware she has a lot of haters. But, well... she always strikes me as having had potential that was never developed. Not that I'm sure I'll do a sterling job of it, but _what-everrrrrr_**

**Anyway, enough defending my choice; if you don't like it, there are better Gin fics out there than this one.**

**X-X-X**

**The Striking Snake **

**ch6**

_**...you most deeply Desire?**_

**X-X-X**

"Neh! If I'd known I was gonna be forced to clean up, I wouldn't have come to see," Chizuru grumbled.

Tatsuki swept another pile of broken glass into the dustpan. She had been paired in the cleaning with Chizuru Honshõ, one of her least favorite students in her class. "It's to be expected," she said shortly. "Especially when the glass broke from a judo club brawl - students break the glass, students clean it up."

"Yeah." Chizuru paused, her brow furrowing. "Say... Tatsuki..."

"What?" Tatsuki looked up, annoyed that Chizuru had stopped working.

"The... judo club broke the windows?" She frowned, her lavender eyes meeting Tatsuki's dark hazel ones. _"You're_ in the judo club, right?"

"Yes...?"

"Weren't..." she blinked. "Weren't you all training out on the field?"

Tatsuki blinked in response. They had... what had the judo club been doing? She didn't remember meeting near the school... "well, I - "

Tatsuki cursed as Chizuru's eyes took on a slightly glazed look. She knew better than anyone what _that_ meant.

_"Hime-channnnn!"_ Chizuru sang, skipping over to the object of her perpetual and unrequited affection. "Let's walk home together and - "

The maroon-haired girl paused. Orihime hadn't even twitched - not acknowledging her presence at all. "Hime-chan? What's wrong?" She said. "You're spacing out more than usual..."

Still getting no response, Chizuru's face split into a creepy grin, almost _half_ as creepy as Gin Ichimaru's. "I know, Hime! Wh- _gack!"_

Tatsuki yanked Chizuru's collar back, momentarily choking her. Happenings of this nature were so common that it had become accepted fact that Chizuru was slightly mentally unstable, and the sight of Orihime was what seemed to send her into temporary psychosis.

Abruptly, Orihime turned back to her two companions. "Can you feel that?"

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. "Feel wha - "

A crushing, black feeling of despair rolled over them, and for a moment, the sun seemed to darken.

The three girls staggered. Orihime recovered quickest, but froze as soon as she looked upwards. The other two girls did the same as soon as they recovered.

"Am... am I the only one who's seeing this?" Stuttered Tatsuki.

"If by 'this' you mean the tentacled monstrosity on the school building... I don't think so," whispered Chizuru.

The monster laughed, deep and raucous. **"Ooh? The prey can see me after all!"** Its voice echoed and grated, as if it was speaking down a long hallway.** "I should have expected as much, from such delicious-smelling souls! Your power will be a tasty addition to my own!"**

The creature raised its head and unleashed a strange, terrifying howl. And from the building and behind the fences came... students.

But they didn't look like the normal students of Karakura high. Their eyes were dull, and they moved like_ zombies,_ lurching uncoordinatedly, with slack faces and pale skin.

Each seemed to have a green stain on their skin or clothing.

The hollow grinned, aiming three tentacles. "Duck!" Screamed Orihime.

The other two followed on blind reflex, and three blobs of green slime narrowly missed their targets.

_What is it..._

The 'zombie' students lurched forward, doubtless intending to grab and hold the girls. The hollow itself floated forward, apparently capable of flight as well as slime-based mind control. The three girls turned and ran.

_... that you most deeply..._

Orihime skidded to a halt as she found the corner of the schoolyard wall in her way. It was far too tall to jump or climb. They were trapped.

_... desire?_

Tatsuki roared, and there was a flash of violet light.

**X-X-X**

As the dust cleared, Chizuru and Orihime finally got a glimpse of Tatsuki. However, she looked a little different from before.

Her school uniform seemed to have been replaced with a heavy black kimono. Around each foot was a strange boot that looked like some kind of metal suspended over a bright white field of energy, formed into the shape of a predator's paw. Around her hands, gauntlets of the same kind had formed - but instead of mimicking paws, the metal shaped itself into the heads of two snarling wolves.

As the zombies descended, Tatsuki moved.

She had never imagined such strength, despite being easily the strongest member of each of her multiple martial arts clubs. A simple uppercut with the flash-gauntlets was enough to launch a possessed student more than ten feet into the air, while a kick... she was _afraid_ to use a kick. It didn't take Karate training to know that kicks were always substantially more powerful than punches, and she didn't want the students to regain their minds only to find large chunks of their ribs and intestines mashed to jelly.

It hardly seemed to matter; all it took were punches. Each time the wolf heads met flesh, the victim was sent sailing away. There were a frighteningly large number of the 'zombies', but she could keep them at bay easily at this rate -

The masked octopus-like monster fired another blob of goo.

Tatsuki brought up her right arm, and the goo splashed harmlessly on the metal. It seemed that -

Then a possessed student grabbed her left arm. She shook him off - and two more grabbed her legs. She was surrounded and, in seconds, pulled under.

"TATSUKI!" Orihime fought back tears.

_What is it..._

Chizuru gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to scream. Her soul was overwhelmed - with horror at Tatsuki's plight, grief that Orihime was so distraught, and bitter despair at the certainty that Orihime - sweet, beautiful Orihime - would _never_ show the same concern for her.

_... that you most deeply desire?_

Chizuru blinked, and when her eyes opened, their whites weren't. Golden irises gazed out from two inky black pools.

**X-X-X**

The hollow looked, inasmuch as its mask bore any expression, taken aback.

The red-haired girl had removed her glasses, and the white bone of a hollow mask had materialized over her face. The mask looked like a skeletal dog, a jackal even, with teeth like a mouthful of spears.

**"Céro,"** said Chizuru softly, her voice resonating with the same deep, scraping echo as the hollow's.

A deep-red ball of energy materialized between the mask's teeth, before discharging in a wide cone of destructive force. The possessed students were blasted away from Tatsuki, although none looked seriously injured.

**"Céro?"** Howled the monster, clearly displeased. **"How?! It was weak, but that should have been impossible! Only Menos can use Céro!"**

**"Weak?"** Retorted Chizuru, her distorted voice lending a creepy edge. **"It worked well enough for what I wanted. I'd say it's not bad, for a first try."**

The freakish monster smirked.** "A Gillian's Céro would have liquified those humans,"** it spat. **"And a more powerful Menos' wouldn't even have left a streak of ash. Despite your strange mask, you are no match for me."**

Chizuru cracked her knuckles. **"We'll see about that."**

**X-X-X**

Orihime scurried over to Tatsuki's prone form. The strange armor had disappeared, revealing a great many bruises, though none of the stereotypical bites; one of her arms had been twisted in a way arms certainly weren't meant to twist. She was deathly pale, and breathing shallowly... there was fresh, bright blood bubbling from her mouth. Her ribs looked broken.

Orihime fought a surge of panic. _She must have a punctured lung..._ Chizuru's newfound speed and strength was holding off the zombified students, and even seemed to be vexing the hollow that commanded them, but she didn't seem to be making headway on an escape route. They were still trapped, and noticeably lacking in first aid supplies.

Orihime, unlike her crush Gin, wasn't trained in emergency medical response. But she knew a punctured lung needed immediate treatment, and broken ribs likely meant there would be other internal injuries. Tatsuki was dying and there was nothing she could do about it.

She could call Gin, or even Dr. Ichimaru himself, but the Ichimaru Clinic was halfway across town. Karakura General Hospital was slightly closer, but... while she trusted Gin would have little trouble with a hollow smaller than her late brother had been, she doubted an average E.M.T. would be capable of reaching them through the mass of zombie students.

_What is it..._

Tatsuki was dying and there was nothing she could do...

_... that you most deeply desire?_

Orihime felt a tingling in her... hair-pins?

Before her eyes, six strange fairies materialized. Each one was dressed differently.

"Your friend is hurt," said one of them - she was dressed in a pink kimono, with what appeared to be a ridiculously large red... um, garment over her head, almost like a tiny, portable tent. She almost seemed to be peeking out timidly.

"She is indeed," said another, this one sporting blonde hair in a topknot. "Perhaps we should forgo formal introductions."

"Very well," replied the first's soft voice. "Orihime Inoue, we are called _Shun Shun Rikka._ We are manifestations of your power - "

"Yeah, yeah," cut in her impatient companion, while the other fairies remained silent. "Long and short. I'm Shun'õ, she's Ayame - we are the power to heal. Do you wish to heal your friend?"

Orihime blinked. Having confirmed that she wasn't hallucinating, she nodded. "Yes... yes, please..."

Ayame nodded. "Then repeat after me..."

**X-X-X**

"Ayame, Shun'õ. Sõten Kisshun..."

Tatsuki's eyes cracked open. Everything that could hurt, did hurt. She felt like she'd been ripped into pieces and stitched together again. Breathing was difficult... like there was water in her lungs...

"I reject it..."

Her blurry vision filled with orange light, and suddenly, the shards of agony seemed to withdraw.

One by one, the aching bruises faded. She felt several grinding pops as her ribs snapped back into place. The gurgling liquid receded from her lungs.

With a final crunch, her shoulder re-aligned itself. She shut her eyes, breathing heavily.

Tatsuki mentally went over the facts. A minute ago, she had been in what had to have been terminal condition. She didn't exactly have a clear view of the damage, but she had been practically breathing blood - rarely a good sign.

And then, assuming she wasn't trapped in some kind of sick fever dream, the injuries had just... _undone_ themselves.

She opened her eyes, this time surveying her surroundings.

She was still in the schoolyard. Unlike before, however, she was underneath an oval dome of orange light. Beside the dome was a worried-looking Orihime, who was biting her lip with nervousness.

The bubble vanished, dissipating into two streaks of light that flew into the star-shaped pins on Orihime's hair.

"What was - "

"I think it's a healing technique. Don't worry about it now!" Orihime sounded almost pleading. "We need to kill the squid-thing!"

Tatsuki nodded, clenching her fists.

The monster was now hiding behind a wall of puppet students. It seemed that the green slime also gave them superhuman stamina - Tatsuki knew she'd made a few strikes that would knock your average kid out for hours, yet none of her original victims were on the ground.

At the forefront of the stalemate was Chizuru, growling faintly. Every time a student stepped forward, she would match its movement - if they actually came forward, she would beat them back forcibly.

But what truly drew Tatsuki's attention was the fact that Chizuru was wearing a terrifying bone mask. What had once only covered the face seemed to have extended across her shoulders and down her arms; her hands sported bone gauntlets which terminated in cruel claws.

The claws were dripping red. Tatsuki realized that some sidelined students were reduced to crawling instead of lurching - while it didn't look like there were any fatalities, Chizuru didn't seem to be above crippling her fellow students.

Tatsuki jumped to her feet, the wolf-like armor reappearing on her hands and feet. She strode forward.

"Yo, Honshõ," she called. "Though I've seen worse from beginners, your stance is sloppy."

**"I haven't been mobbed down yet,"** replied Chizuru's scraping, hollow voice.

"Hah, I suppose you've got that over me." Tatsuki stepped up beside Chizuru, taking a fighting position. "One vanguard, one distraction. Who do you think would be best at smashing that freak?"

**"Given its size?"** Chizuru momentarily regarded her new utility-knife fingernails. **"I'm thinking blood loss will kill it faster than blunt force."**

"Gotcha." Tatsuki got ready to charge. "I'll go left and start knocking heads. Assuming they dogpile me, you go right and carve us some calamari."

Without further ado, the two girls sprang into action.

Chizuru spared a glance at Tatsuki. Sure enough, the minions were surging towards her, leaving a few meters of empty ground between the school building and the squid-hollow.

She charged, feeling herself move faster than a human should be able to. Something about the mask seemed to amplify her physical abilities - something to think about. Later, when she wasn't on a mission.

In the blink of an eye, she was in front of the monster.

**"Well, the strange demi-hollow approaches at last!"** The thing raved. **"Perhaps you've realized you should just give up and die quickly!"**

It raised a tentacle to spray Chizuru... and howled in pain as the appendage was roughly sliced off.

**"Why, you - I'll kill you!"** It howled.

Chizuru's black and yellow eyes narrowed. **"You attacked Orihime,"** she growled. **"If anyone's getting killed, it's you."**

The monster's tentacles, dozens of them, shot towards Chizuru as one unified mass of slimy gripping limbs.

There was a sound of ripping flesh.

And then, blood sprayed in every direction as if shot from a fire hose.

**X-X-X**


End file.
